One of the most effective tools in your tool box but people are hesitant to use it.

I often tell people if I have swung a leg over one of my horses, you can no longer afford to buy them. I’m only 1/2 joking. Earlier this week I said that Jo and I had put the first rides on Grace. In those 1st four rides she has trotted straight lines, gone over cavaletties, done haunch turns, side passed, backed, worked the flag, weaved poles, etc. I said she’s had 29 months of training in preparation to make all of that possible. If you had to pay for 29 months of training

Jo and I started Grace under saddle this week. Jo is a very accomplished rider for being only 14. She has a young horse at home that will need to be started soon, so I figured we would teach her about the first rides.

Putting the first ride on a young horse should not be scary for the horse or the rider. If the proper preparation has been done with good in hand work, the first ride is simple. Keep your expectations low. Don’t stay on the saddle for a long time. Walk. Do a turn each direction. Get off.

Connection is not something the rider creates. Connection is something the horse must seek and find. The rider creates the environment for connection to be successful. The horse must be confident enough to look for it.

If your body has a joint, it needs to be moving when you ride. If your joints are locked your horse must work around that brace. They will be bracing as well.

Young horses are not for everyone. They take commitment. There are a lot of bumps on the path to seasoning a young horse g horse and making them dependable. I choose to do it because my job requires me to clean up messes other people have made with horses. I would rather bring up a young one. I want to educate and season it for me. I have the skill amd education to do it. If you don’t, you absolutely must be prepared to pay for help if you are going to tackle a young horses p

If you want to be babied through tough times with your horse, I’m not your educator. I don’t deal well with human meltdowns and tears. It’s ok to be frustrated. It’s ok to get angry. It’s ok to cry. But I’m going to tell you to get your poop in a group and pyll

That’s Not an Accident

I can’t sell my horses that I’ve started unless I absolutely trust the people I’m selling them to. I start my horses for me. That means from the first right we work on lightness, straightness, balance, softness, and doing the least amount possible for a desired result. This makes my horses sensitive and they listen to every breath, every small movement of my body both on the ground and in the saddle. They are a fine tuned instrument. Most humans are busy and loud. Some horses

We are in my least favorite time of year, Hell’s front porch. I mean August in Texas.

When I was at the doctor’s office last week, they measure grip strength and overall muscle in my body. I have 68lbs of muscle which is way above average for my age. That was surprising to me. I don’t understand why average is so low. my grip strength in my right hand was 88lbs and in my left hand (missing finger) it was 66lbs. Again, way above average and I feel my grip strength is weaker now than it’s ever been.

Recipe for training a horse:

Practice Pause

Don’t drill your horse. Three to five minutes, three to five reps. Take a break, change the exercise. The horse doesn’t have to get it “right” before you quit or move on. Learning comes with mistakes and they don’t have to stay at school until they have it perfect. We would not do that to a child who is learning. Drilling rarely creates anything but stress and anxiety. Stick to your 3-5 and walk away.

I apologize for my absence and appreciate everyone’s patience. If you are distracted, don’t expect your horse to be focused. If you can tell me what is happening outside the arena, you aren’t focusing on the task in the arena. If you can’t keep your focus in the arena, don’t be upset when your horse can’t either. Your horse needs a mentor. If you are constantly looking for boogeymen then your horse will expect to find them. If you stay focused and confident; your horse will f

For almost 15 months I’ve been dreading this day. In my head I imagined all the things that could go wrong. I’ve told myself I couldn’t do it and probably shouldn’t. I wasted a lot of energy over 15 months being anxious.

Loading foals. These aren’t the best video but they were in our security camera.

Your horse protects their engine. Their hind end is what gives the flight and they also use it to fight. A horse yielding it’s hindquarters to you is entrusting you with their safety. They are giving up control of something vital to their survival.

Your horse doesn’t want fight with you. If they are getting emotional and looking for an out, they don’t understand the information, they aren’t strong enough or they are painful.